Getting Enough Protein in Your Diet is Crucial to Staying Strong as You Age

Recently I started working with a new client who is in his early 70s and complained of losing a lot of strength and energy over the past couple of years.  After talking with him about his diet and exercise habits I bought to his attention that he was not eating nearly enough protein to maintain his muscle mass and strength.  I explained to him that a loss in his muscle mass was directly related to a loss of his strength and the importance of getting enough protein in his diet to build and maintain his muscle was crucial to him keeping his strength as he aged.

The loss of muscle with age is a natural process called sarcopenia.  Sarcopenia leads to muscle weakness, fatigue, and frailty associated with old age.  This process can begin in your 30s and it accelerates with time if you don’t do anything about it.  Fortunately, you can slow down, and even reverse this process by strength training 2 to 3 times each week, and getting enough protein in your diet to support muscle growth and repair.  Click here to see the entire post...

Your Health, Strength, and Fitness Doesn't Have to Decline With Age

My name is Darvis Simms, and I am a personal trainer.  Over the last 24 years, I’ve helped hundreds of people get and stay healthy, strong, and fit.   I want to help you realize your fitness potential by sharing some of the things I do and have learned about getting and staying healthy, strong, and fit as I age.

As I mature and my client base matures, I’m beginning to specialize in fitness over age 40.  I'm writing this post to show you that your health, strength, and fitness level does not have to decline as you age.  I’m in my late fifties so I understand the challenges you face as you fight the aging process.  I am stronger, more fit, and feel better than I did in my twenties and you can be too.  Click here to see the entire post...

Beating The Middle Age Spread

Middle age is the ages between 45 and 65 and it's considered by most as the best time of life. It's the period of life where people have the most disposable income, are comfortable in their careers, and are confident in who they are.  However, one of the downsides that middle age brings is the dreaded "middle age spread".

The middle age spread is an unexplained weight gain that women see mostly in their hips and thighs, and men see predominately in their waist.  The good news is there is and explanation for the middle age spread and a way to beat it and it is as follows.  The added weight that comes along with middle age is mostly do to a loss of muscle mass and consequently a decline in your basal metabolic rate.  Your basal metabolic rate is the rate at which your body burns energy at rest to keep you alive.  Your muscle mass is the active component of your body that requires the most calories for survival, thus the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn all day long.  Click here to see the entire post...

The Many Benefits of Strength Training as You Age

Strength training is one of the most important activities you can do to stay healthy, fit, and strong as you age.  It can starve off most of the diseases and chronic conditions that are associated with old age.  It is the most effective means for preventing frailty, and living an independent life as you get older.



Musculoskeletal weakness is a pervasive problem associated with age and it typically leads to physical frailty among adults over the age of 70.  On average men and women lose more than 5 pounds of muscle tissue between the ages of 25 to 55, and they experience an even greater rate of muscle loss beyond that age.  Click here to see the entire post

Three and One-Half Hours of Exercise a Week Can Keep You Healthy and Fit

While recently visiting a nursing home, I was saddened by the sight of so many people just existing, and waiting for death to come their way.  Some were there because of stroke and heart disease, some because of alzheimer’s and dementia, and some just because they were too frail to handle the activities of everyday life on their own.

As I walked the hallways, I wondered how many of the residents might have escaped this fate had they been exercising regularly all their adult lives?  You see, according to a recent study on Physical Activity and Public Health co-published by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA), adults and seniors need regular aerobic and strength training exercises to promote and maintain good health.  Unfortunately, most older adults do not perform the minimum amount of physical activity required for health and fitness. Lack of physical activity is related to a variety of degenerative conditions including cardiovascular disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, colon cancer, breast cancer, dementia, anxiety, and depression.  For complete article see...